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THE  JUDSON  CENTENNIAL 


JULY  THIRTEENTH,  1813. 


It  was  a  memorable  day  on  which  the  Rev.  Adoniram 
Judson  and  Ann  Hasseltine  Judson,  his  wife,  landed 
on  the  mud  banks  of  the  Irrawaddy  River  at  Ran¬ 
goon,  July  13,  1813.  Strange  had  been  the  providence 
of  God  which  had  called  this  Congregationalist  scholar 
to  give  up  the  work  in  which  he  had  already  won  some 
measure  of  success,  and  devote  his  life  and  his  conspicu¬ 
ous  talents  to  missionary  work  for  the  heathen  in  lands 
at  that  time  so  far  off  that  they  seemed  almost  inacces¬ 
sible. 

In  September,  1811,  Adoniram  Judson,  Jr.,  Samuel 
Nott,  Jr.,  Samuel  Newell  and  Gordon  Hall  were 
appointed  as  missionaries  of  the  Congregational  Board, 
Luther  Rice  being  appointed  at  a  subsequent  date. 
The  Judsons  and  Newells  sailed  from  Salem  February 
19th,  1812,  Rice  and  the  rest  of  the  party  from 
Philadelphia  the  day  previous. 

But  this  scholar  engaged  in  critical  study  of  the 
Greek  New  Testament,  both  before  he  sailed  and  on 


4 


the  voyage,  and  as  a  result  of  this  study  came  to  the 
definite  conclusion  that  the  Baptists  were  right  as  to 
the  mode  of  baptism,  and  that  he  had  been  in  the 
wrong.  His  wife  had  studied  with  him  step  by  step, 
and  came  to  the  same  conclusion.  It  was  heroism  of  a 
very  fine  type  which  led  them  to  leave  home  and  sever 
their  connection  with  parents  and  relations  and  become 
missionaries,  and  the  same  noble  heroism  was  shown  in 
the  fidelity  to  conviction  which  led  them  to  ask  baptism 
by  immersion,  and  they  were  so  baptized  at  the  Lai 
Bazar  Baptist  Chapel,  Calcutta,  on  September  6th, 
1812.  Luther  Rice  on  the  other  ship  had  been  simi¬ 
larly  led  to  a  change  of  belief  and  was  baptized  at  the 
same  place  a  few  weeks  later.  This  was  done  in  full 
knowledge  that  thus  they  severed  their  relations  with 
the  Board  which  had  sent  them  out.  Truly,  like  the 
patriarch  Abraham,  at  the  call  of  God  they  went  out 
from  their  own  land  and  friends  not  knowing  whither 
they  went,  and  God  has  honored  them  in  giving  to 
them  spiritual  children  which  shall  yet  be  like  the  sand 
that  is  by  the  seashore,  innumerable.  For  out  of  this 
change  came  the  formation  of  a  Baptist  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  in  America,  which  has  been  not  only  the  means 
of  blessing  to  many  peoples  who  knew  not  of  Christ, 
but  resulted  in  the  most  evident  growth  and  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the  United  States. 
It  is  for  these  reasons  that  the  Baptist  denomination  in 
America  and  in  all  the  fields  of  its  missionary  opera- 


5 


tions  will  celebrate  in  1913  the  Centennial  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Judson’s  arrival  in  Burma,  and  seek  to  make  true 
and  adequate  recognition,  if  that  be  possible,  of  the 
manifold  blessings  granted  by  God  upon  the  work  thus 
called  into  being  by  the  movements  of  his  own  mysteri¬ 
ous  providences. 


What  hath  God  Wrought  ? 

In  1813  there  was  no  Baptist  Mission  Society  in  the 
United  States.  At  the  present  time  the  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  is  the  successor  of  the 
Board  organized  May  21st,  1814,  to  take  up  and  support 
the  work  of  these  then  Baptist  missionaries  in  Burma. 
The  Board  so  organized  was  called  The  General 
Missionary  Convention  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  in 
the  United  States  of  America  for  Foreign  Missions.” 
In  1845  the  Baptists  of  the  South  withdrew  and  formed 
their  own  Convention,  and  now  have  a  splendid  work  in 
many  fields.  In  1846  the  cumbersome  name  of  the 
Convention  was  changed  to  The  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union,”  which  name  it  held  during  the 
period  of  its  great  expansion  for  more  than  three  score 
years,  until  in  1910  it  was  changed  to  The  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society.”  The  first  organiza¬ 
tion  was  made  in  Philadelphia,  but  the  headquarters  of 
the  Society  have  been  in  Boston  since  1826. 


6 


Starting  out  with  only  Adoniram  Judson  and  his 
wife  in  the  field  in  Burma  in  1813,  the  Baptists  of  the 
Northern  States  now  have  work  in  118  Stations  in  the 
following  fields  : 

Burma, 

Assam, 

South  India, 

South,  East,  Central  and  West  China. 

Japan, 

Africa, 

Philippine  Islands. 

The  regularly  appointed  missionaries  of  the  Society 
now  number  almost  precisely  700,  including  the  wives 
of  missionaries. 

The  total  number  of  church  members  in  these  fields 
in  non-Christian  lands  is  now  152,000  ;  in  Europe  in 
connection  with  assisted  work,  123,000.  While  this 
Society  stands  third  in  the  list  of  American  societies 
on  the  basis  of  home  income,  and  also  on  the  basis  of 
missionaries  enrolled,  it  stands  Jirst  in  the  number  of  full 
communicant  church  members,  being  fully  50%  ahead 
of  the  Society  second  in  the  list.  There  are  two 
missionary  societies  in  England  with  a  larger  income, 
and  three  with  more  missionaries  than  this  Baptist 
Society,  but  none  of  them  approach  at  all  near  in  the 
number  of  communicant  church  members. 

For  this  evidence  of  the  Divine  approval  resting  upon 
our  work,  it  is  fitting  that  devout  thanksgiving  be 
made  in  the  centennial  year. 


7 


In  Burma.  Burma  has  assigned  to  its  thirty-one 
stations  two  hundred  missionaries  of  this  society,  in¬ 
cluding  wives  of  missionaries.  It  has  over  63,000 
Baptist  church  members  in  connection  with  its  921 
churches,  who  contribute  over  Rs.  220,000  for  the 
carrying  on  of  their  own  work,  in  addition  to  a  larger 
sum  paid  for  the  education  of  their  children.  These 
churches  report  245  ordained  preachers,  and  686  un¬ 
ordained  preachers,  and  over  4300  baptisms  during  the 
year,  and  over  20,600  scholars  in  629  Sunday  Schools. 
Other  particulars  of  this  magnificent  development  may 
be  found  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  Society,  and  of 
the  Burma  Baptist  Missionary  Convention,  which  is  the 
home  and  foreign  missionary  organization,  duly  incor¬ 
porated,  of  these  Baptist  churches  in  Burma. 

The  foundations  for  this  work  in  Burma  were  laid  by 
men  who  believed  that  the  establishment  of  a  self- 
sustaining,  self-propagating  Christian  church  demands 
an  intelligent  and  educated  body  of  Christians,  and  to 
this  end  schools  in  connection  with  other  forms  of 
mission  work  have  been  opened  throughout  Burma  so 
far  as  men  and  means  have  permitted.  In  this  work 
the  Women’s  Societies  have  had  a  very  prominent 
part,  and  the  results  are  manifestly  justifying  the 
means  used.  Schools  are  not  an  end  in  themselves, 
but  a  step  in  the  process  of  the  thorough  evangelization 
of  all  the  races  of  Burma. 

There  are  reported  in  connection  with  this  Mission 


8 


700  schools  of  all  grades  with  26,000  pupils  in  attend¬ 
ance.  While  this  work  takes  the  time  of  a  goodly 
number  of  American  men  and  women,  it  is  not  by  any 
means  wholly  dependent  upon  American  money,  for 
the  people  themselves  pay  in  school  fees  the  sum  of 
two  and  three-quarter  lacs  of  rupees  per  annum,  or 
about  $92,000.  This  fact  alone,  that  a  native  Christian 
community  has  been  brought  to  a  condition  where  it  is 
both  willing  and  able  to  spend  so  much  money  every 
year  on  the  education  of  its  children,  proves  the  wisdom 
and  effectiveness  of  the  plans  and  means  used  by  the 
Baptist  Mission  in  Burma. 

This  educational  scheme  has  for  its  secular  crown  the 
Baptist  College  in  Rangoon  with  its  preparatory  depart¬ 
ments  in  close  connection,  totalling  over  1100  pupils  in 
all  grades,  and  with  a  large  American  and  native  faculty 
of  trained  educators  as  professors  and  teachers.  Re¬ 
ports  of  the  College  may  be  had  by  application  to  the 
Principal,  Rev.  E.  W.  Kelly,  Ph.  D.  The  subsidiary 
schools  may  be  summarised  as  follows  :  there  are  36 
boarding  and  high  schools  with  7300  pupils,  and  663 
elementary  schools  with  19,600  pupils. 

For  the  spiritual  training  of  the  leaders  of  these 
peoples  of  Burma  there  are  two  Theological  Seminaries 
at  Insein,  a  suburb  of  Rangoon,  easily  reached  by  rail, 
and  two  schools  for  the  training  of  Bible  Women,  one 
in  Insein  and  the  other  in  Rangoon.  There  are  200 
students  for  the  ministry  in  the  Seminaries  and  about 


9 


half  as  many  women  receiving  Bible  training  in  these 
two  schools  mentioned. 

All  the  educational  work  of  the  mission  is  open  to 
the  inspection  of  interested  visitors  to  Burma. 

A  word  should  be  said  as  to  the  various  tribes  of  Burma 
and  their  condition  now  and  when  the  century  began. 

When  the  Judsons  began  their  work  in  1813  they 
had  about  them  only  Burmans.  After  the  first  Bur- 
man  war,  with  its  long  imprisonment  and  suffering, 
after  the  mission  had  been  moved  from  Rangoon  to 
Moulmein,  then  brought  under  English  rule,  the  hill 
people  were  discovered  by  Dr.  Judson,  and  work  for 
them  was  commenced  by  Boardman  and  Wade.  The 
Karens  were  a  people  without  a  written  language,  and 
their  speech  had  to  be  reduced  to  writing  by  Rev. 
Jonathan  Wade,  and  so  commenced  the  work  of 
emancipation  of  the  Karens  from  the  fear  of  the  Bur- 
mans  and  their  marvellous  advance  from  a  condition 
almost  of  serfdom  to  their  present  degree  of  independ¬ 
ence  and  wealth.  The  power  of  Christianity  to  lift  up 
a  race  was  never  better  proved. 

Work  for  the  Talains  or  Peguans  was  commenced 
about  the  same  time,  and  later  on  for  the  Shans  of  the 
interior  of  the  country.  In  later  years  other  tribes 
have  had  their  languages  reduced  to  writing,  the  Kachin 
and  the  Chin  and  the  Lahu,  and  these  backward  and 
depressed  tribes  are  now  following  the  Karens  in  up¬ 
ward  progress. 


10 


The  Burmans,  Talains  and  Shans  are  all  Buddhists, 
and  all  have  literatures  written  in  a  character  which 
has  been  evolved  from  the  Sanskrit,  although  the 
Mongolian  speech  of  these  and  all  other  peoples  of 
Burma  is  as  different  as  possible  from  any  Sanskritic 
tongue.  The  Karens,  Kachins,  Chins,  Lahu,  and  allied 
peoples  of  the  hills  of  Burma  and  the  adjacent  countries 
are  animists,  or  spirit  worshippers,  and  all  of  them,  so 
far  as  they  have  written  languages,  are  indebted  to 
American  Baptist  missionaries  for  that  fact. 

When  the  Judsons  arrived  there  were  no  printing 
presses  in  Burma.  There  had  been  a  little  Burmese 
type  produced  by  the  English  Baptist  missionaries  at 
Serampore,  and  in  1816  they  gave  a  hand  press  and  a 
font  of  Burmese  type  to  Rev.  George  H.  Hough,  who 
brought  them  to  Rangoon  and  began  the  printing  work 
which  has  gone  on  from  that  time  to  this  and  has 
grown  into  the  present  business  of  the  American  Baptist 
Mission  Press  in  Rangoon.  Catalogues  of  the  publica¬ 
tions  of  the  Press  may  be  had  for  the  asking,  as  well  as 
a  historical  booklet  descriptive  of  the  work  of  the 
Press. 


Plans  for  the  Judson  Centennial  Celebration. 


Looking  forward  for  five  years  before  the  Centennial 
date,  the  Burma  Baptist  Missionary  Conference  in  1908 


11 


made  its  first  plans  for  this  celebration  by  appointing  a 
committee  of  five,  and  by  memorializing  the  then 
Executive  Committee  in  Boston  to  take  steps  worthily 
to  celebrate  so  important  an  event  in  the  history  of  the 
Baptist  denomination  in  America.  The  same  year,  a 
few  days  later,  the  Burma  Baptist  Missionary  Conven¬ 
tion,  composed  of  representatives  of  all  races  in  Burma, 
nominated  ten  other  members  to  form  a  Burma  Com¬ 
mittee  of  fifteen  for  this  purpose.  Dr.  E.  O.  Stevens 
having  been  removed  by  death,  his  place  was  filled  by 
the  Convention  in  191 1,  and  this  Committee  is  now 
organized  as  follows  : 

Conference  Members  : 

Rev.  D.  A.  W.  Smith,  D.D.  Treasurer . 

Rev.  W.  F.  Armstrong,  D.D. 

Rev.  W.  Bushell. 

Rev.  J.  McGuire,  D.D. 

Rev.  L.  E.  Hicks,  Ph.  D. 

Convention  Members  : 

Rev.  C.  A.  Nichols,  D.D. 

Mr.  F.  D.  Phinney.  t 

Rev.  E.  W.  Kelly,  Ph.  D.  Chairman.  / 

Rev.  J.  E.  Cummings,  D.D.  English  Sec’ y . 

Rev.  H.  H.  Tilbe,  Ph.  D. 

Saya  Taik  of  Mandalay. 

Saya  Po  Min  of  Rangoon. 

Thara  Gan  of  Bassein,  Karen  Secretary. 

Rev.  L.  T.  Ah  Syoo,  Burmese  Secretary . 

Thra  Shwe  Bwin  of  Henzada. 


12 


The  above  Committee  of  fifteen  has  been  made  a 
part  of  the  Commission  of  one  hundred  appointed  by 
the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  to  plan 
for  this  Centennial  Celebration. 


The  Celebration  at  Home 


is  fully  set  forth  in  a  small  booklet  which  may  be  had 
on  application  to  the  Literature  Department  of  the 
A.  B.  F.  M.  S.,  Boston. 

The  Commission  held  its  first  session  on  March  l6th, 
1911,  in  Rochester,  N.Y.,  and  organized  with  the 
following  officers  : 


Rev.  A.  H.  Strong,  D.D 
J.  S.  Dickerson,  Esq. 

Rev.  S.  R.  Warburton, 

The  Treasurer  of  the  A.B.F.M.S. 

ecutive  Committee, 


Chairman. 
Vice-Chairman . 
Recording  Secretary . 
Treasurer. 


Walter  Calley,  D.D. 
C.  H.  Moss,  D.D. 

F.  P.  Haggard,  D.D. 
E.  A.  Hanley,  D.D. 
Geo.  E.  Horr,  D,D, 
Mrs.  H.  G.  Safford, 


H.  J.  White,  D.D. 

T.  H.  Barbour,  D.D. 
Rev.  A.  C.  Baldwin. 

E.  H.  Hascall,  Esq. 

Mrs.  M.  Grant  Edmonds. 
Miss  H.  F.  Ellis. 


IS 


This  Commission  adopted  a  program  which  approved 
the  plans  for  the  celebration  in  Burma  and  included  for 
the  celebration  at  home,  beginning  with  a  special  course 
in  mission  study  classes  in  September,  1912,  and 
utilizing  churches  services,  Sunday  Schools,  Young 
Peoples  Societies,  mass  meetings,  etc.,  the  sending  of  a 
delegation  to  Burma  in  November,  1913,  and  the  hold¬ 
ing  of  the  May  Anniversaries  in  Boston  in  19 14,  with 
special  historical  addresses  and  pilgrimages  to  the  towns 
connected  with  the  Judsons  in  America.  A  Centennial 
volume  giving  a  history  of  mission  work  of  the  century 
and  a  complete  list  of  all  missionaries  sent  out  is  to  be 
undertaken  as  well.  Further  particulars  may  be  had 
on  application  to  the  Recording  Secretary,  Box  41, 
Boston,  Mass. 


The  Celebration  In  Burma. 

The  chief  ends  to  be  served  by  the  celebration  in 
Burma  will  be  Thanksgiving  and  Consecration.  The 
Baptist  denomination  can  never  fully  express  its  thank¬ 
fulness  for  the  wonderful  providences  of  God  which  led 
the  Judsons  to  Burma,  both  for  the  greatness  of  the 
results  there  attained  among  many  peoples  in  many 


14 


tongues,  the  measure  of  self-support  and  self-direction 
reached  by  the  churches  of  Burma,  and  for  the  awak¬ 
ening  and  unification  of  the  denomination  in  America 
growing  out  of  the  call  to  support  the  work  of  the 
Judsons  in  Burma.  The  plans  proposed  for  the  cele¬ 
bration  in  Burma  include  : 

(a)  Meetings  at  Rangoon  for  three  days,  at  the 
leading  session  of  which  the  Lieut. -Governor  of  Burma 
will  be  invited  ;  meetings  at  Moulmein,  and  at  Manda¬ 
lay  with  excursions  to  Ava  and  Aungbinle. 

(b)  If  possible,  there  will  be  present  a  few  surviv¬ 
ors  of  those  baptized  by  Dr.  Judson,  and  reminiscences 
will  be  read  from  Ma  Lon-ma  and  Ma  U-ma.  Repre¬ 
sentatives  will  be  present  from  every  tribe  or  race  of 
Christians  in  Burma. 

(c)  Representatives  will  be  invited  from  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Congregational,  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  Boards, 
and  from  all  other  Baptist  Missions  in  India. 

(d)  Exhibits  of  results  secured  in  the  publications 
of  the  Press,  maps,  diagrams,  tables,  etc. 

In  token  of  consecration  to  this  work,  in  proof  of 
devout  thanksgiving,  the  Baptists  of  Burma  have  begun 
a  movement  to  raise  on  the  field  a  special  sum  of 
Rs.  100,000  for  educational  and  evangelistic  work  in 
Burma,  and  to  secure  if  possible  100,000  church  mem¬ 
bers  by  November,  1913. 


15 


YOU  ARE  INVITED  TO  HELP. 

If  in  America,  you  are  invited  to  share  in  every  plan 
possible  as  proposed  by  the  Commission  of  one  hundred ; 
you  are  urged  to  join  the  deputation  to  Burma — the 
invitation  is  free  to  all  ;  you  may  add  your  gifts  to  the 
special  Judson  Centennial  offering. 

If  in  Burma,  or  a  visitor  to  Burma,  you  are  urged 
to  have  a  share  in  all  the  plans  for  the  Celebration,  and 
in  the  Win  One  ’  ’  movement,  to  help  by  your  own  gifts 
to  raise  the  Rs.  100,000;  and  ivher ever  you  are  you  may 
join  in  our  prayers  of  thanksgiving,  and  of  deeper  con¬ 
secration  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  world  wide  evangeli¬ 
zation. 

Gifts  may  be  sent  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Centennial 
Fund  in  Burma,  Rev.  D.  A.  W.  Smith,  D.D.,  Insein  ; 
or  may  be  handed  to  the  Superintendent  of  the  Mission 
Press  for  that  purpose,  or  to  any  other  missionary,  if 
specified  as  for  transmission  to  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Centennial  Fund. 


